Monday, August 24, 2009

The New York Times ran a profile of Josh Neufeld, writer and illustrator of the graphic novel A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge. The book recounts the stories of seven survivors who were living in and around New Orleans, and is based on research and interviews conducted by Neufeld. George Gene Gustines wrote the feature for the Times. From the article:

“All my comics are reality based,” said Mr. Neufeld, who lives in Brooklyn and has long contributed art for “American Splendor,” the autobiographical comics written by Harvey Pekar. The winding road leading to the New Orleans novel began when Mr. Neufeld signed up to work with the Red Cross after the hurricane hit, serving as a disaster response worker in Biloxi, Miss., for almost a month. He said the catalyst for volunteering was 9/11. “Having been in New York when the towers fell, I remember that overwhelming feeling of helplessness and displaced anger,” he said. “When Katrina hit, I saw what was happening, and I realized that I, as a single person, could somehow help.” Mr. Neufeld blogged about his experience and self-published a collection of his dispatches called “Katrina Came Calling.”

The novel was released last week published by Pantheon. It's a fascinating article. Read it here.